Poker Face ✔

Chapter 25

I walked down the side walk, with Gabe beside me. The cold breeze forced his hands into the pockets of his jeans while I screamed into my cellphone — hoping for answers.

"Jerry" I cried, "do you know who's running the exportation site or not?"

"The name is Riley Simms but you didn't hear it from me" he finally said.

"Alias or....."

"I don't know, Taylor" Jerry sighed, "I've got to pick up my kid, can I go?"

"Yeah, bye Jerry" I ended the call quickly, shifting my gaze to Gabe.

Riley Simms. Knowing his name means nothing without any additional information. Although, it is something, which can help us.

"Well?" He raised a brow.

Once I tell Gabe his name, we'll part ways. Is that what I want? I haven't seen him in months. If I leave him now, when will be the next time we'll meet?

"Riley Simms" I answered, watching for Gabe's reaction.

"Never heard of him" he admitted.

"Right" I nodded, wondering if I actually believed him. After-all, we were on the same job.

"So this is it huh? You've got the name and you'll be on your way?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what's going to happen" I slid my hands into the pockets of my coat, shrugging my shoulders.

"Well alright then" he averted his gaze away from me.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Nothing" Gabe shook his head before slowly walking in the opposite direction to me.

Was he really walking away from me?

"Hey! don't make me feel like shit just because you thought that this would turn into something!" I cried out to him.

Did he think tho would turn into a partnership? Us two pulling jobs together like the good old days? Well, those days are over. They ended when his family killed my uncle.

Gabe stopped dead in his tracks, twisting his body to face me. His eyes filled with anguish.

"I thought no such a thing!" He assured.

"It was always a job to me, Gabriello" I admitted.

"It's always business with you, Taylor" he clenched his jaw, "that's why we'll never work" and with that, Gabe turned his body back around and disappeared into the distance.

I pressed my fingertips against my temples in frustration. My phone then began buzzing from my pocket.

"Yeah" I pressed my flip phone against my ear.

"Hi Tay," the man greeted.

"Chace, what's up?" I rubbed my palm against my forehead.

"Nate wants you back home" Chace announced.

"Did he say why?" I furrowed my brows.

I'm not finish, I found out who's running the site but I still don't know how to find him.

"No, but he was very persistent"

"How persistent?" I asked in fear.

"He may or may not have pulled out a concealed weapon" he informed me, "demanding we bring you back now"

That's when you knew Uncle Nate was serious. He had never been a violent man, unless it was to get something that he wanted.

"Alright, I'll pack up my things and get to Brooklyn immediately" I nodded.

I was back in New York before night fall, sitting at the back of Chace's Limo. When we arrived home, I was greeted by Chris.

"Rina!" He greeted me with a bear hug. "Uncle Nate wants to see you in his office"

"That serious?" I folded my arms.

Chris nodded, signalling me to march up the stairs.

Was I being punished? Taken off the Ohio job due to my wrongdoings? But what have I done to deserve it? Did he know about Gabe, perhaps?

"Hello, Taylorina" uncle Nate greeted me from behind his desk.

My uncle wore his checkered mustard button up shirt and his reading glasses which he removed once he met my gaze.

"What's this about?" I folded my arms.

"Did you get a name?" He asked.

"Riley Simms" I told him.

"Good" uncle Nate nodded.

"....What have I done?" I lowered my voice, my eyes wide in confusion. "Why did you pull me from the job?"

"Your part is done, Taylorina"

"I was meant to find him—" I reminded him.

"Leave that part to someone else"

"You don't want me meeting with him alone? Is that it? You don't trust that I'll take care of myself?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Alone?" he nodded slowly to himself. "Taylorina, I've known of some dreadful things that go on around here for a long time and I've managed to hold my tongue for fifty five years!"

Did he know about Gabe? I wondered.

"How? How do you know everything?" I asked at almost a whisper.

"Do you know how your grandparents met? Your grandfather Daniyyel was in love with her but your grandmother Regina knew he was a con man so she says what any woman would have said in her situation, show me! So he stole her their wedding rings" he pulls out two silver rings from his desk and places them onto his desk, in my view. "Your grandfather was killed by a Donatello Larrunzario when your grandmother was pregnant with your father...I was only eighteen years old at the time...and she left us. Left the business. And I have been here, running this place ever since" uncle Nate's sips his Scotch.

"You're drunk" I cocked my brows.

"Perhaps" he looked down at his parents rings. "I should have never sent Jason out on that job. I was selfish and reckless. I put him out into the field and...you knew he couldn't do it" Uncle Nate looked up at me.

"You found a way inside him and played ping pong with his mind" I reminded him. "If you have to do that to someone to get them todo what you want, then I think that's evidence that he wasn't equipped for the job"

Jason ended up sleep deprived preparing himself for that assignment. His thoughts twisted so tightly, that not even uncle Nate could unravel them.

"You're right" he admitted.

"Is that why you pulled me?" I asked.

"It's my job to know when someone isn't equipped for an assignment. I failed Jason and I wasn't about to fail you too" Uncle Nate explained.

Looking into my uncles eyes in that moment, all I could see was fear. I knew better then anyone, that trying to rationalise Uncle Nate's thoughts were close to impossible. So, I twisted on my heels and left his office. 

We both knew I was more then capable of finishing the job myself, but when Uncle Nate started thinking about the What if's long enough, there was no talking him out of it.